The Tampa Bay Rays want a brief house for the 2025 season, and a division rival goes to assist them out.
Tropicana Discipline, the Rays’ common house stadium, was closely broken final month by Hurricane Milton and won’t be prepared till the 2026 season.
The momentary resolution — Steinbrenner Discipline in Tampa Bay, the spring coaching house of the New York Yankees.
Yankees proprietor Hal Steinbrenner launched an announcement on the settlement on Thursday afternoon.
So far as momentary options go, it’s in all probability pretty much as good because the Rays and their followers might have probably hoped for as a result of it retains the workforce native and can permit followers to nonetheless attend video games this season.
Steinbrenner Discipline has a capability of round 11,000. The Rays averaged simply over 16,500 followers per house recreation throughout the 2024 season, the third-lowest whole within the league.
If nothing else, the Rays ought to have a chance to play in entrance of a packed stadium each evening, which ought to at the very least assist create a greater surroundings than what that they had at half-empty Tropicana Discipline.
It is usually useful for the Yankees as they’re set to achieve an estimated $15 million in additional revenue by permitting the Rays to play their video games within the park.
The one actual potential downfalls right here revolve across the climate, which might disrupt some video games (as a result of rain) and make for some uncomfortable days and nights in the summertime as a result of warmth.
It additionally creates a weird state of affairs for Main League Baseball the place two of its groups can be enjoying video games in minor league/spring coaching stadiums this season. The Athletics are going to be enjoying the primary of three seasons in Sacramento whereas they await their (hopeful) everlasting in Las Vegas, whereas the Rays can be enjoying at Steinbrenner Discipline.
The Rays are anticipated to open a brand new stadium in time for the 2028 season.
Repairs to Tropicana Discipline are anticipated to price greater than $56 million {dollars}, in keeping with The Athletic’s Sam Blum and Jayson Stark. The majority of that price will go towards repairing the roof of the stadium.
